Ardraka: The master herb

    Ardraka, commonly known as Ginger is one of the most widely used herb for medicinal purposes in Ayurveda. Ginger is a potent herb due to the specific actions and hence it is also called ‘Mahoushadhi ‘. Dr. Varun Ram Raj of Ayurvedatarian uses the herb Ardraka for the treatment of conditions like Agnimandya(Loss of appetite ), Aruchi(Anorexia )etc due to the actions like Deepana & Pachana( Carminative and digestion promoting actions ). The herb is also Vata Kapha reducing and hence used in conditions arising due to vitiation of Vata and Kapha doshas like Urticaria, Haemorrhoids etc. The herb contains Phyto-constituents like camphene, phellandrene etc. Ayurvedatarian is using the best quality tiger for our treatment purposes. 

General aspects and Geography 

Botanical name : Zingiber officinale    

Family :  Zingiberaceae 

Habitat: Cultivated through out India

Parts used

• Rhizome

Classical categorization based on Ayurveda Textbooks

Charaka Samhita – Dipaniya varga (Carminative )

Susruta Samhita – Pippalyadi gana

Pharmacological action 

• Antimicrobial 
• Stomachic 
• Rubefacient 
• Digestive 

 

 

Medicinal property according to Ayurveda

• Sulahara (analgesic property)
• Swasahara ( alleviates cough )
• Krimighna (Insecticidal )
• Dipana (Carminative )

Therapeutic indications

• Anorexia (Aruchi) – Luke warm Ardraka juice is taken after adding rock salt for gargling.
• Loss of appetite (Agnimandya)- A fresh piece of Ginger is taken internally before food for increasing appetite.
• Urticaria (Sitapitta)- Ardraka juice is taken along with old jaggery 

Dosage

Powder (Churna) – 5 

Juice (Swarasa)- 5-10  ml

Tablet - 2 tablets twice daily or as per the advice of the Ayurveda doctor 

Note: Ayurveda medications must be taken only after consulting an Ayurveda doctor. 

Formulations 

• Nagaradi churna
• Nagaradi taila
• Sunti kwatha
• Sunti ghrtha   

Morphology :

Perennial herb with elongated leafy stems and stout rhizomes. The stems are erect and leafy. Leaves are narrow and linear lanceolate. Inflorescence is spike. Flowers are greenish.

Vernacular names of Ardraka

English – Ginger

Hindi- Adarakh

Malayalam – Inchi 

Sanskrit – Ardraka

Synonyms of Ardraka

• Mahoushadhi 
• Nagara
• Ushanam
• Viswa

Rasapanchaka of Ardraka

Rasa- Katu (Acrid ) 

Guna-  Guru (heavy )

Vipaka- Madhura (sweet)

Virya- Usna (hot)

(Bhavaprakasa Nighantu Guducyadi Varga- shloka 105)

  Ardraka alleviates Vata and Kapha doshas and hence used in diseases caused by the increase of these two doshas. The herb is found very effective in conditions ljke Arsas (Haemorrhoids ), Swarasada (Hoarseness of voice) etc. Ayurvedatarian conducts many researches on Ardraka and uses the herb in the Ayurvedatarian preparation named Vasahale. Dr. Varun Ram Raj, the best Ayurveda doctor in the world, is leading the research for Ayurvedatarian single herbs and herbal combinations for making the availability of high quality herbal as well as Ayurvedic products to the globe. 

Researches on Ardraka 

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3665023/

2. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK92775/

Frequently asked Questions

1) Is Ardraka good for improving digestion?

   Yes, According to Ayurveda, Ardraka is Dipana pachana (Beneficial for digestion and acts as carminative ). Proper intake of Ardraka  before food can increase digestive capacity.

2) Can Ardraka be used daily?

   Ardraka is one among the herbs which can be used on daily basis considering the individual health status. The intake should be under the supervision of a qualified Ayurveda doctor at apt dosage. 

3) How to use Nagaradi churna?

Nagaradi churna can be mixed with hot water or Rice water and can be applied directly on the skin/joint part.